The electoral campaign for the General Elections in Peru is heating up, and civil society is mobilizing through the Citizen Historical Agreement (AHC). This agreement proposes six democratic conditions for good governance for the 2026-2031 term to the candidates for president, senators, and representatives. These conditions, which they must fulfill if elected, will restore dignity, justice, and rights to the 34 million Peruvians.
- The proposals that the Historical Agreement will develop through working groups and implement with volunteer brigades are:
- The repeal of pro-crime laws;
- Reparations for the families of victims of the 2022-2023 repression and contract killings;
- Establishment of life imprisonment for corrupt officials;
- Repeal of the constitutional reforms imposed by Congress;
- Infrastructure projects free from corruption; and
- Educational reform (university, technical, higher, and basic education) and scholarship programs, for the eco-industrialization of local and national development.
“These are proposals that the Historic Agreement will develop through working groups and promote and implement with Volunteer Brigades, along with providing them to candidates and those elected as authorities,” stated Héctor Jesús Chunga, representative of the Citizens’ Coalition for Life.
“Citizens must regain their political influence.”
For his part, Grimaldo Ríos, also from the Citizens’ Coalition for Life, denounced that, regarding the repeal of pro-crime laws (which have fueled rampant crime), “Bill 12158 is currently shelved; this Congress doesn’t want to discuss it. Therefore, we need this process to be supported by citizens. We need citizens to regain the power to influence the policies defined by the government and the State in general.”
Ríos Barrientos also announced a National Campaign to be launched following the Historical Agreement Forum scheduled for February 16. “We are going to call on various citizen organizations to promote this signature campaign to gather the will of the people and repeal the pro-crime laws. Most of the candidates say they will repeal the pro-crime laws as soon as they take office, so on the day of the forum we expect them to commit to signing this repeal. These are the conditions that we, the citizens, are setting for the candidates seeking our vote. But the task doesn’t end there; we must continue with citizen advocacy to ensure that this commitment is implemented.”
“We need our institutions and authorities to respond to the demands of the people for justice, for truth, and for an end to the impunity that politicians have become accustomed to imposing in recent years. The power is ours, and we entrust them with fulfilling the commitments they have made. If they fail to do so, we citizens have the right to demand compliance or, if necessary, to recall these authorities,” Ríos stated.
Subscription or continuity?
Delia Espinoza, current candidate for dean of the Lima Bar Association (CAL), hopes “that they (the candidates) have sufficient ethical and moral capacity to fulfill their promises and that they also join this Historic Citizen Agreement to which they are being called, because the citizenry wants to take control of its destiny. Peruvians—and I include myself now that I have been removed from the judiciary—I remain Peruvian, and as a lawyer, and even as a candidate for dean of the Lima Bar Association, I will continue to be that voice that the will of the people must be respected in the elections.
And that they now accept the six conditions, so that they take on the task of ensuring that everything is for the public interest, for the national interest; it is not about them presenting all their proposals now, only for them to fall by the wayside once they assume power. When they assume power, that is where the real task, the commitment, and the integrity they must demonstrate truly begin.” They will keep their promises.”
“If these six conditions are not accepted and publicly endorsed with a commitment to fulfill them, it means they intend to be practically a continuation of what we are experiencing and suffering today. People no longer want that. With these congressmen, with these presidents we’ve had, and with these authorities we have now… We Peruvians, all of us, have opened our eyes,” added Dr. Espinoza.
Respect for life and non-politicized institutions
On the other hand, Jeremías Escalante, representative of the Peruvian Federation of Construction Workers, emphasized respect for dignity and life: “Well, the historic citizens’ agreement is a coalition of different social and grassroots organizations, such as, in this case, the construction workers’ union, the Federation of Construction Workers; I am a member of the historic citizens’ agreement, and transport workers, students, housewives are also participating… I think we have more than enough reasons; we mustn’t forget.
Since 2008, there have been murders in the construction sector, more than 26 leaders killed for opposing the interference or infiltration of pseudo-unions and pseudo-leaders, who use the union organization as a front and who take advantage of the Ministry of Labor’s automatic registration for criminal purposes. So, we also strive or fight for respect for dignity and life, right? It’s not right that transport workers, laborers, and ordinary merchants are being murdered, and that’s I believe that cannot be allowed in this country.”
Escalante Paulino also emphasized the non-politicization of institutions: “We also aspire for institutions to have freedom, administrative and technical independence. They cannot be politicized. It is not right that the National Board of Justice is politically controlled, it is not right that the National Office of Electoral Processes is politically controlled, it is not right that the National Registry of Civil Status (RENEC) is politically controlled. Everything is being controlled. The Attorney General’s Office, which has recently been politicized to the extreme, even to the point of dismissing Dr. Delia Espinoza, who is a good prosecutor who truly represents the interests of the people, and who, nevertheless, due to political interests, due to that coalition within Congress of the Mafia, of organized crime, unfortunately they do not want or do not allow her to continue in office.”
Valid interlocutors for business development
Maribel Cayampe, representative of the Gamarra Business Front (FEDEGA), explains why they are part of the AHC: “We also support the bill for life imprisonment for corrupt officials, that’s one reason. Another is that, from our respective positions, we are here to promote business development through entrepreneurship, for both men and women. However, the promotional role that the State is supposed to play is not being fulfilled. And they dump all that work on entrepreneurs, on micro and small business owners, on those of us who decide to develop production chains; so we’re just starting to grow. That trickle-down effect isn’t reaching us, and the conditions are right!
If we don’t protect our market, others will negotiate on our behalf, and these intermediaries aren’t fighting for the real Peruvians, so they aren’t fulfilling their role. And we’ve seen that in the media. We can’t say that this president, this government, has been clean and transparent. So that’s what we want. And the time will come when we, as SMEs, as entrepreneurs, can truly do our part.” “From the small ones, from the bottom up, we can truly find our valid interlocutors who speak and feel like us.”
AHC: A Tool to Empower Everyone
Leandro Pacheco Taipe, representative of the Young Leaders for Peru (JLP) collective of Generation Z, emphasized that “the Historic Agreement serves as a tool for all citizens, including young people, to empower themselves through their actions; and for the needs of the people to be met without depending on external political interests or the interests of a power we do not control.
This is a tool that promotes civic and collective activity; it is a tool for social reweaving, because it is from this that the true civic actors of young people emerge to solve problems, which is political activity. It’s not just about depending on elections every five years, not just about depending on those who have been elected, but about empowering all those collectives that have formed, empowering the fronts, the federations of university students, scholarship recipients, self-organized youth, and young workers…”
The Historic Citizens’ Agreement, with these principles and more, seeks to ensure that basic rights such as education, health, and quality employment are properly met. It aims to empower young people, from an early age—through basic education, employment, and higher education—to become involved in social and political activity. What we currently have is mere political maneuvering. The Historic Agreement seeks to resolve this by moving from this petty politicking to genuine politics that addresses the needs of the population and stems from the social fabric we are trying to repair.
What I’m saying is that, given the number of groups involved, as is well known, and their diverse populations, each with its own interests and objectives, they will have the freedom to decide. And because there are so many of us—more than 7 million—we will be vigilant about our future, which is, in turn, the future of the nation.
The Historic Citizens’ Agreement (AHC) will hold its Third Citizens’ Forum on February 16, bringing together various grassroots organizations to seek the commitment of the future leaders of the nation. However, a preparatory meeting, both in person and virtually, will be held on February 2 at the Lima Bar Association (CAL) in the Miraflores district.
The Pressenza newsroom will continue to report on the development of the AHC and its influence on the upcoming Peruvian General Elections, to be held on April 12.